Michael Klossner
Michael Klossner is resident of Little Rock, Arkansas, Michael Klossner is a librarian at
Arkansas State Library. He is a contributor to Anatomy of Wonder (1995) and Fantasy and
Horror (2000) and the author of The Europe of 1500–1815 on Film and Television (McFarland, 2002).

When reviewing reference works, one can rarely hope to compete with the author in terms of knowledge of the field (my knowledge
of prehistoric tales being largely limited to literature), so saying that there are no obvious omissions or errors, within the
author's defined scope, isn't saying much. One must judge the work on its ease of use, readability, the quality of its
indexes and bibliographies, how clearly the scope is defined and the completeness of the survey of said scope, along with
the probity of the author's commentary and inclusion of other expert's views -- on these fronts, Michael Klossner's Prehistoric
Humans in Film and Television delivers the goods.

The work is divided into three main parts:

Fictional Works in Prehistoric Settings

Documentaries

Fictional Works in Historical, Modern and Extraterrestrial Settings

along with four Appendices:

Misleading Titles, Unknown Contents, Aborted and Proposed Projects

Post-Apocalypse Primitives in Film and Television

Outstanding Performances as Prehistoric Characters

The Creationist Challenge: Productions That Question the Existence of Prehistoric Humans

Each entry (particularly for fictional works) includes full filmographic data, including year of release, running time,
production personnel, cast information, and format. Klossner includes a wide chronological range of films, surveying no
less completely silent films that later ones, though some information on the public availability/survival of the less
important early films might have been included. A plot description of each film provides both the story line and a commentary
on how anthropologically accurate the film's portrayal of early man is. For major films, a "commentary" section expands on
the accuracy of the film, the making and intent of the film, the techniques used, anecdotes regarding the director and/or
stars, and a listing of other reference works which mention the film. While Klossner excludes overtly pornographic films,
he does treat the many cave man sexploitation films with the same methodical approach: while clearly making the distinction
between them and 'quality' genre films, he provides an informed analysis which doesn't simply discount them as worthless
drivel, but places them within the context of their sub-genre.

Similar information to that for fictional films is provided for television productions, including lists of relevant
episodes. For documentaries, the filmographic details are given, a description of the scope of the work, as well as an
assessment of its scientific accuracy. Klossner also devotes a small appendix to Creationist films which deny the existence
of prehistoric man.

I was personally fascinated with the extent of silent films dedicated to the genre and the fact that no less
than D.W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton produced important or at least entertaining genre films. Klossner
has of course his personal favourites, like the opening scene of Kubrick's 2001. A Space Odyssey, and is somewhat
more critical of Quest For Fire, perhaps given it having been publicized, at its release, as the most scientifically
accurate non-documentary genre film.

Certainly for those interested in prehistory and the history of the particular film genre, Prehistoric Humans in Film and
Television is both a useful, well documented, organized and annotated reference tool, as well as a treasure trove of
films to discover.

Georges Dodds is a research scientist in vegetable crop physiology, who for close to 25 years has read and collected close to
2000 titles of predominantly pre-1950 science-fiction and fantasy, both in English and French. He writes columns on early
imaginative literature for WARP, the newsletter/fanzine of the Montreal Science Fiction and
Fantasy Association and maintains a site reflecting his tastes in imaginative literature.